Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Connecting the Dots Between Bloody Bill Anderson and the Quantrill Raiders

In "The Story of Bloody Bill Anderson (part 1)," published in the December 8th edition of the Western Magazine Digest (WMD), we covered a crucial incident that took place when young Bloody Bill Anderson was on the run toward the Missouri border where he expected to find safety.

If you recall, once young Bill Anderson reached the farm of a Confederate sympathizer, he bedded down in the farmer's barn in the loft. According to McCarter, the author of the Bill Anderson story (Winter 1978 edition of Old West magazine), “A slight sound awakened him two hours later. He carefully eased one of the revolvers out of its holster and swung its muzzle toward the shadows near the ladder leading to the loft. He placed a big thumb on the hammer and eared it back to full cock. The metallic snick was loud and ominous.”

It was then, in the loft of that old barn that Bloody Bill came face to face with John McCorkle, the purveyor of his ultimate destiny with the Missouri Partisan Rangers, which eventually included his own command. At the time, McCorkle rode with William Clarke Quantrill, Commander of the Quantrill Raiders.

Quantrill's Raiders, which was active from 1861 to May of 1865, took an active part in the Confederate military forces of the time. This guerrilla-type group was part of the Partisan Rangers, in which there were more than 400 members.

Bloody Bill Anderson Links:

There is so much more to the Missouri Partisan Rangers. For more information on the Quantrill Raiders, Bloody Bill Anderson, John McCorkle, William Clarke Quantrill, and all the other brave souls that fought to preserve the safety and rights of the fair citizens of Missouri, consider some of the following as Christmas gifts for those brave souls you love and treasure. Give them the gift of history and a proud heritage.

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